BALTIMORE 5, MINNESOTA 4 IN BALTIMORE
Date: Friday, August 23.
Batting stars: Junior Ortiz was 3-for-4 with a double. Kirby Puckett was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Chili Davis was 1-for-2 with two walks.
Pitching star: Carl Willis pitched four innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits and two walks and striking out three.
Opposition stars: Ben McDonald pitched eight innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and three walks and striking out six. Dwight Evans was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer (his fifth) and a walk. Chris Hoiles was 2-for-3 with a walk. Mike Devereaux was 2-for-5.
The game: With one out in the second, Randy Milligan walked, Evans singled, a sacrifice fly made it 1-0 Orioles. The Twins came back in the third. With two out and none on, Dan Gladden singled, Chuck Knoblauch walked, Puckett had an RBI single and Kent Hrbek delivered a two-run double to put the Twins up 3-1.
The lead lasted until the fourth. Glenn Davis led off the inning with a double, Milligan walked again, and Evans hit a three-run homer to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead. The Twins tied it in the fifth when Knoblauch led off with a single and scored from first on a Puckett double. They missed a chance to take the lead when Puckett was caught trying to steal third.
It stayed 4-4 until the ninth. Ortiz hit a two-out double in the sixth but remained at second. Baltimore put two on with two out in the sixth and again in the eighth but also did not score. In the ninth, Hoiles led off with a single. Pinch-runner Juan Bell was bunted to second and scored on David Segui's two-out single to end the game.
WP: Gregg Olson (4-3). LP: Willis (7-3). S: None.
Notes: Ortiz was behind the plate in place of Brian Harper. Gene Larkin started in right field in place of Shane Mack. Scott Leius was at shortstop in place of Greg Gagne. Gagne pinch-ran for Ortiz in the ninth and remained in the game at shortstop. Randy Bush pinch-hit for Gladden in the ninth. Harper took Bush's place in the lineup and went in to catch. Mack took Leius' place in the lineup and went to left field.
Puckett raised his average to .331. Willis' ERA went up to 1.95. Terry Leach pitched two-thirds of an inning to drop his ERA to 2.75.
Allan Anderson started for the Twins but pitched just four innings, giving up four runs on five hits and two walks and striking out two. I don't know, but it could be that Tom Kelly started Ortiz with the thought that he'd be better able to help Anderson. If so, it does not it appear to have worked.
Even though he took the loss, Willis again pitched very well in long relief. His amazing run was nearing an end--he did not pitch well in September, presumably from being worn down during the season. But he does not get nearly enough credit for the Twins' 1991 success.
The Twins' nearest rivals both lost, the White Sox falling to Cleveland 4-3 and Oakland losing to Milwaukee 13-4. So, the Twins margin remained the same.
Record: The Twins were 74-50, in first place in the American League West, six games ahead of Chicago and Oakland.